Q2 SA1 –The Cask of Amontillado

A. “The Cask of Amontillado” is a chilling story, but Poe also uses humorous elements
as the narrator recounts his experience with Fortunato.
1. Can you identify elements in the story that might be regarded as humorous?
- The elements in the story that can be counted as humorous features are things such as the
carnival, their garments or costumes, how people laugh in sarcastic jokes and the inebriated
people, give the story humorous detail that draws the reader's attention.

2. What does the humor add to the story?

- The humor adds to the story for the readers to have an easy approach to comprehend more
about the situation; it gives the narrative a different viewpoint from being merely a horror
story to be a little bit more hilarious or intriguing to the reader.

3. Can you think of any other stories, books, or movies that blend horror and humor in a
similar way?
- Yes, I believe that certain authors and movie directors employ such method to attract the
audience's attention. For example, in the film Goosebumps, one of the enemy characters is
Slappy the dummy. Slappy and the other monsters add a humorous element to the film as
they appear in the book, but the antagonist character is the evil guy who represents the terror
aspect of the film.
B. “The Cask of Amontillado” uses a first-person narrator (A narrator that is a character
in the story), and, sometimes, first-person narrators can be unreliable.
1. How Reliable or Unreliable do you regard the narrator?
- The Cask of Amontillado is a story about retribution. The narrator, who is one of the main
characters in this story, is also the one who tells it. He is untrustworthy because he is telling
us how he murdered Fortunato, and a murderer is never trustworthy. Besides, he never
informed us about the thousand injuries he suffered at the hands of Fortunato. Therefore, the
narrator is Unreliable.

2. Are there any ways that the narrator might be manipulating the truth?
- The narrator may be twisting the reality or the truth about what happened that day because he
wants us to believe that what he did was horrific and that Fortunato should be punished for
the thousand hurts he caused him. Throughout the story, he informs us that he implored
Fortunato to allow him out of the vaults, but Fortunato refused. That seems Fortunato came
on his own own. He also offered Fortunato something to drink to help him with his cough,
but I assume it was wine, and he was inducing intoxication in him.

3. How would you describe the narrator’s attitude toward himself and his actions?

- The narrator maintains a cold manner throughout the story. He somehow narrates in a way of
being a passive aggressive. He honestly believes that his actions were motivated solely by
revenge and that his words were driven solely by fear. He organized everything so that no one
 would ever know what happened to Fortunato since no one knew he was with him, and he
didn't force Fortunato to go to the vaults.
C. Although the narrator seems to assume that his actions are justified, he certainly can
be interpreted as a villain.
1. What characteristics of the narrator make him an effective villain?
- When the narrator decided to murder Fortunato, he chose not to tell him about his fine idea.
Montresor began to walk with him into a suitable setting for killing. Montresor also requested
that he return with a sarcastic tone so that he could think that everything would be OK. With
that on his side, he served Fortunato a lot of wine as they made their way to the dungeon.
Fortunato would be drunk and easily enslaved in this method. All of these schemes contribute
to Montresor's effectiveness as a villain.
2. Can you think of any other villains from stories, books, television shows, movies, or “real
life” that share some of the narrator’s villainous characteristics?
- The film "There’s someone inside your house" has a lot of similarities in the narrator’s
villainous characteristics. The killer or the murderer hides his identity by wearing a mask and
pretending to be the guy who is everyone’s friend, so he won't recognize his plan that easily.
He schemed his revenge perfectly so he could murder his father and pass the blame to one of
his friends. Both Zach and Montresor have a smart mind to plan their revenge perfectly.

3. Is there anything about the narrator that you find attractive or likeable?

- The narrator made us think of the possible things that might happen to us if we make
mistakes intentionally or unintentionally. It simply reminds us to be aware of everything we
do to our fellow men. Another thing I enjoy about this author is that they make you fearful of
what can happen to you. I mean, most of us have undoubtedly made a mistake that has caused
harm to another person, and that person may be plotting vengeance against us while
everything is going well for us. In real life, who are Montresor and Fortunato? 
D. The narrator never specifies why he hates Fortunato. Instead, he states only that
Fortunato caused “a thousand injuries” to the narrator and eventually “ventured upon
insult.”
1. What is your general impression of Fortunato?
- My impression was that Fortunato was a bad man, a selfish one who's only self -interest
matters as if he takes the wine himself. Because of the thought that narrator wanted to wanted
revenge, I assume that Fortunato is a greedy, and so insensitive in things. 

2. Do any of Fortunato’s words and actions support the narrator’s belief that Fortunato is
worthy of hatred?
- Vault and his expertise with wines were two of Fortunato's remarks or preferences that I
imagine the narrator hated. Fortunato had a deep passion for wine, which he was well-known
for. I suppose the narrator envies Fortunato because he is affluent and well-liked by others.

3. Do any of Fortunato’s words and actions refute the narrator’s belief that Fortunato is
worthy of hatred?
 - Fortunato's humility and large heart were among the traits that opposed the narrator. When
the narrator asked Fortunato to help him with an Amontillado doubt, he originally hesitated,
but eventually consented. Fortunato devoted his time despite the fact that he was at a carnival.
That, in my opinion, was a smart move. Fortunato never exhibits his selfish side and is
always willing to help others, which is why people admire him.
E. Every story must exist in a certain time and place and we refer to the time and place of
a story as a setting.
1. How does the setting of the Cask of Amontillado change as the story progresses?
- The story begins at a Carnival when the narrator meets Fortunato, then travels to Montresor's
home where Fortunato and Montresor admire to drink the Amontillado wine, and lastly to the
catacombs where the narrator abandons Fortunato to die.

2. Why do you think Poe chose to bring together in the story the dreariness of the
catacombs and the festival atmosphere of the carnival?
- I think that Poe chose to bring together in the story the dreariness of the catacombs and the
festival atmosphere to emphasize the ambience of the story and for us to understand how the
mood of every scene goes. I also believe the author used the scene changes to highlight how
the catacombs may be a carnival for one of the characters, just like the catacombs were
Fortunato's carnival, because he finally found happiness when he killed Fortunato. As a
result, the two atmospheres demonstrate how the carnival for Fortunato might be the
catacombs, and how the catacombs for Fortunato are simply a carnival.
-
3. What elements of the setting in the story would you consider typical of a horror story?

- The terror ambience that covers the atmosphere in the vaults, the nitre that surrounds the path, the
strange deeds, and the villain's caustic quips are all aspects that are common in a horror story.

Crizel Joy Y. Masiglat

ABM 12 - FORD